Robert & Bernard Plageoles Le Loin de L'Oeil 2016

Sweet. Loin de 1'Oeil is one of the many ancient Gaillac grape varieties first resuscitated, and then nurtured by this Domaine. The name translates as 'far from the eye'. The 'eye' referred to here is the bud and this vine gets its name from the fact that its bunches have very long stems and are therefore far from the buds (or the 'eyes' in French). When these grapes have reached phenolic maturity in the Plageoles' vineyards, the team goes around the vines pinching the stem at the top of each bunch, a method that arrests the ripening and concentrates the grapes sweetness and acidity. Following harvest, the bunches are whole bunch pressed and the wine is then naturally fermented in old oak barrels. The product of the fresh, Atlantic-influenced 2014 vintage has delivered a crisp, racy example of this wine, which simultaneously packs in the intensity of an incredibly low-yielding harvest (due to a cool spring, half the bunches were dropped). It has the classic Loin de l'Oeil fruit spectrum of ripe peach, apricot kernel and apricot blossom floral aromas and flavours, and a beautifully balanced, vibrant, tangy palate with a finish is long and spicy. Residual sugar clocks in at around 120 grams per litre, and the volatiles and extract keep the wine perfectly pitched, fresh and clean. It will happily replace a Sauternes/Barsac at the table-without the price tag. It has that same stone fruit spectrum and a gentle twist of volatility. This would probably pair best with a savoury course (why don't we drink more sweet wines this way?) or cheese, but could also work with a not-too-sweet fruit based dessert or perhaps crème brûlée.